Bambara Wrap

This is Ambah O’Brien’s Bambara Wrap. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Bambara wrap was inspired by a walk in my local bush. The greens of the landscape and dappled light through the leaves.  

Bambara is a generously-sized wrap, knit on the bias with simple shaping and alternating sections of lace and garter. The colours and patterns weave together like the layers of a melody, calling to mind the iconic sound of The Cure’s A Forest. It’s the perfect opportunity to play with colour – use a 3-skein gradient with a coordinating contrast colour, mix speckles and solids in 4 different colours for a fun, bold look, or keep it subtle with neutral solids.

This is a sample we had knit for the store a few years ago. The yarn is discontinued but I wanted to show it so you could see a different colourway.

This is the Bambara that I knit. I would highly recommend the shawl. It was a fun knit. There is just enough to keep you interested without it being a complicated knit.

I put together kits and they are available online and in the store. You need 4 skeins of fingering weight yarn. I can also make a custom kit.

I had my eyes checked today and ordered a new pair of glasses. Krysten and the staff at Hanley’s were awesome as usual. Krysten and Stephanie picked out my new frames and you’ll never guess what colour!

When I got home dad was having a nap. Fred and Boscoe were in bed with him.

Jackson loves to lay outside the powder room.

Now it’s time for the Jays and some knitting. There hasn’t been much of that because I’ve had other chores but my fingers are itching. It’s time to split for my sleeves.

The Shift

I was in the store this morning packing orders and answering emails. When I’m sitting at the front table I look at our display for The Shift. Our kits needed a refresh. We’ve received new colours that haven’t been used yet.

There are 8 new kits online and in the store. These kits are one of a kind. The skeins photographed are the skeins that you receive. 

I’ve knit the Shift 4 times and would definitely make it again. The pattern is easy to follow and the colour changes make it an interesting knit. I like wearing the cowl as well. 

This cowl is the perfect all-the-time accessory! And the answer for all of those knitters out there who love to knit shawls, but have a hard time styling them. A fun and engaging knit with shifting colors, that looks like an asymmetrical triangle shawl, and it only takes a fiddle-free second to throw it on as the finish to every outfit!

I put together a few more kits this morning that I will share tomorrow. They aren’t online yet and it’s getting late. 

Pastoral, Lyrical and Rhapsody

We were one of the first stores to carry SweetGeorgia’s Symphony Shawl kits. Now we have pictures of all three colourways knit up.

Three specially curated yarn sets, each featuring fifteen colourways in an array of hand-dyed hues, are sure to delight. Knitters of all skill levels will find joy in creating the Symphony Shawl — an asymmetrical triangular shawl with its touches of lace and easy colourwork. 

Each set contains fifteen 52 yard / 47 m micro-skeins of SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock fingering-weight yarn (80% Superwash merino, 20% Nylon).

This is Pastoral.

This is Lyrical.

This is Rhapsody.

The kits are available in the store and online.

The shed has been restocked with shipping boxes. I was looking for a certain size box last week and realized we were running low on many sizes. I’m ready to ship any size order.

Someone had a hair cut yesterday. Fred looks like a totally different dog. He’s ready to head back to the cottage but that won’t be happening for a few weeks. It is crazy hot up there again. Between dad and Jackson we need to be careful with the heat and humidity. 

It’s almost time for the baseball game and a bit of knitting.

Toast

Tin Can Knits has a new hat pattern that is knit in Sportweight yarn. Juniper Moon Patagonia, Malabrigo Arroyo, Rowan Felted Tweed and Emma’s So Sporty are great yarn options.

You can purchase the pattern for Toast on Ravelry.

Tin Can Knits patterns are very well written and are great for all levels of knitters.

I received word that we will be seeing new colours of Zauberball Crazy and Zauberball Starke 6 by the end of the month.

These are great neutrals.

Beth is at the TiCat game. Dad and I are flipping between football and tennis. Actually I’m flipping. Dad doesn’t last channel. He goes channel by channel so I took charge of the converter. The only problem is that it makes it hard to knit.

Pressed Flowers

Lynn has a new pair of socks.

She used Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Crazy Zauberball to knit the Pressed Flowers Socks (Pattern purchased on Ravelry). These are so cute! Lynn enjoyed making them and said she would knit them again.

Field Day (above) and Bitter Pill (below) are two brand new colours of Dyed in the Wool that Mr. UPS delivered this afternoon. They are hanging in the store and are available online.

We carry Kathmandu Aran in the store and I brought in a couple colours of Kathmandu Fingering to see if I liked the yarn. It feels great. I’m going to ask Deidre to knit a sweater with it. Right now I’m thinking Alpine Bloom.

Queensland's Super Fine Weight Kathmandu Fingering yarn is a luxurious blend that embodies elegance and sophistication. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this exquisite yarn features a composition of 85% wool, 10% silk, and 5% cashmere, offering unparalleled softness, sheen, and warmth. Each 100-gram skein of Kathmandu Fingering yarn contains 425 yards of creative potential, ready to be transformed into delicate shawls, luxurious scarves, and exquisite accessories. Whether you're knitting intricate lace patterns or delicate stitches, Kathmandu Fingering yarn's fine weight ensures impeccable stitch definition and a luxurious feel against the skin. Indulge in the beauty and opulence of Queensland's Kathmandu Fingering yarn, where every stitch reflects the craftsmanship and quality that Queensland is renowned for. Elevate your crafting experience with this sumptuous blend, and let your creativity soar as you create pieces that are as timeless as they are extraordinary.

The two colours we brought in are available online and in the store and I will be adding more over the next month. There are 29 colours in all - I don’t think we’ll have all of them but there will be a great selection.

I put my sweater on two circular needles and put it over my shoulders. I need to add another inch before dividing for the sleeves. I don’t want the armholes to pull because the yoke wasn’t long enough. Now back to it!

Read the pattern

I was up early to get dad and Beth out the door. Then I went between knitting and working on the website.

We have two new colours of Emma’s Super Silky Trios.

The kit will knit Laura Dobratz’s Gradient Lights (pattern purchased on Ravelry). This is our store sample.

This is Boatyard NoCoBo from Susan Ashcroft. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

This shape is great fun to knit (no long cast on, no bind off).
And for those that don’t like purling, there are NO PURLS.

Allow 300-400m (330-440yds) of each of 2 yarns: 
It works well with one solid yarn combined with a handspun, variegated or self-striping yarn. 
If you wish, you can use 2 “fancy” yarns, but be sure to have good contrast between ALL the colours in both yarns.

The pattern is listed as DK, but can work with other yarn weights: sport, worsted or Aran.

The pattern is very detailed because it guides you through the construction step by step and contains both written instructions and charts (both light and dark MC) for each step, but you just need to follow along one step at a time - the work went into writing the pattern, so that the knitting can be relaxing.

You start each section with just 5 stitches and then join the 2 sections together and decrease down to just a single stitch - which means there is no long cast-on and no bind off (NoCoBo)

Susan used a DK weight yarn and Noro Ito for this sample. 

A test knitter used Malabrigo Rios for her shawl and it is gorgeous.

I have another row to work and then I’m dividing for the sleeves on my sweater. Unfortunately I read an increase row wrong and I have too many stitches. Now to do a bit of work to divide those stitches between the front, back and sleeves. Not too bright as my dad would say.

Mr. UPS is bringing pretty yarn tomorrow. Lynn is coming in to help me. I ordered a brand new yarn for her to knit a sweater with. We’ll let you know how it knits and if we’re going to order it for the store. 

Finished Projects

Alex dropped off my What the Fade?! On Saturday. I love the shawl. Now I need to decide if I’m going to add the tassels.

Diana finished another Killer Queen cowl. We used Malabrigo Rios - Blue Jean and Delphira (a new colour). I’ve added it to the Killer Queen kits online.

The family is home from the cottage. Tomorrow morning dad and Beth are leaving early for Peterborough and I’m dog sitting. There should be some knitting time. I have 4 more rows and an increase row before I divide for the sleeves on my sweater.

Yesterday and today were lazy days. Hopefully I get some energy back tomorrow to do some work. There are emails to answer and I will get to those in the morning.